Belle

Chapter 1

        I gasped for air as my eyes began to peak open. A sharp pain shot through my right eye as small shards of sun beamed through the dark space that I was in. I could feel my swollen eyelid seeping over my retina. My arms and legs were numb. I tried my best to move them to regain feeling. I turned my head from side to side regaining consciousness and reality of where I was. I began panicking, remembering the events that had occurred previously. As I squirmed around in the tight space, sweat began to pop off of my temples. I was hyperventilating up a storm. I could now feel the shackle at my feet rubbing my ankle raw. With every ounce of feeling I gained, it brought pain to me. The tears came as the panic escalated.

        "LET ME OUT! PLEASE! PLEASE!" I screamed and banged on the box that I now realized I was in. My first thought was that I had been buried alive. Images of maggots eating at my naked flesh brought more terror into my mind. I clawed and scratched at the box still trying to find escape.

        Hours passed as I saw the sun shinning less and less bright. Id been clawing all day at the box that my nails and fingertips were bloody and raw to the bone. I'd finally given up, from pain, exhaustion, and starvation.

        " Father.." I cried out in a weary voice. "Father.." I said it again hoping my father would come to my rescue. When he didn't I slowly let my eyelids fall heavy and passed out.

        "Paw what are you doing?"

        I could hear voices in my state of weariness. I tried opening my eyes but couldn't. I lay there listening to the arguing voices atop me. I figured I was dreaming until I felt a cool breeze sweep over me. The sound of chains dropping heavily blended with the heavy breathing of someone near. The weight that I felt in my body suddenly went away. I tried nearly successfully to open my eyes again. Peaking through watery, heavy lids I caught a glimpse of a box shaped jaw line, an attached earlobe and a wave of neatly combed blonde hair falling just beneath it. Taking in a deep breath I saw two pair of cerulean blue eyes right before I lost consciousness again.

        Cool caresses ran down my face and busier as I began to come back. "Fa..Fa..father?" I managed trying difficulty to breathe.

        "Hush up child, yo papa ain't here," a heavy woman's voice boomed lightly over me. I opened my eyes completely raising up in panic. I looked around the spacious wooden room. The ceiling was full of beams that nearly reached the floor. The only light were two kerosene lit candles on the floor. Myself and the woman were the only two in the room. She was an older lady maybe in her 40s. She was big boned and she had the prettiest light brown eyes you ever saw. She had thick eyebrows and only a few wrinkles. They looked as if they had been caused by stress. She had long, thick, coarse jet black hair. Id never seen hair so nappy and beautiful at the same time. She had big full lips that reminded me of my mamas.

        As I took in my surroundings she continued to clean me up and pat me down with the cool rag. I didn't open my mouth to speak until she began dapping at the cuts on my ankles.

        "Ouch!" I reached down to shove the rag away from my bloody ankles. I noticed that my fingers had been neatly bandaged as well.

        "Oh, I'm just tryna help ya miss'e," she peered into my eyes,

        "Where am I? Who are you? Where's my father?" I asked trying not to cry.

        "One question at a time girlie," she dismissed my questions. "Here now put something on ya stomach, I know ya hungry."

        She handed me a biscuit and small glass of water. "I saved that fa ya when I cooked today. Massa knew I was stealing food, he'd have my head."